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Sunday, August 4, 2013

The Educated Reporter: EWA Webinar for Journalists: Adding Teachers' Voices to School Reporting

The Educated Reporter: EWA Webinar for Journalists: Adding Teachers' Voices to School Reporting:

EWA Webinar for Journalists: Adding Teachers' Voices to School Reporting



When I was an education beat reporter, I spent a lot of time in August at office supply stores. Over the years I discovered this was fertile territory for meeting teachers as they re-stocked their classrooms for the coming academic year. Away from the hubbub of a union vote or school board meeting, the conversations I had struck up strolling the aisles of bulk copier paper and hand sanitizer were often enlightening - and usually less harried than the ones squeezed in during a school board meeting or contentious vote at the union headquarters.

Talking to teachers isn't just a technique for amplifying a story's impact - it's a vital component of thoughtful education reporting. On Tuesday, EWA will host ajournalists-only webinar looking at innovative ways of connecting with classroom educators. Our presenters are Melissa Bailey (New Haven Independent); Molly Bloom (StateImpact Ohio); and Erin Richards (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel). We'll also get a New Haven teacher's perspective on what it's like to interact with reporters, and he'll share some tips for making the most of those interviews.

"Adding Value: Giving Teachers a Voice in School Reporting" will be held at 1 p.m. EDT. Space is limited, so I suggest you register today.

Have a question, comment or concern for the Educated Reporter? Email EWA public editor Emily Richmond at erichmond@ewa.org. Follow her on Twitter: @EWAEmily.
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The UTLA Election Season is Upon Us by Dr. John Fernandez - Perdaily.com

The UTLA Election Season is Upon Us by Dr. John Fernandez - Perdaily.com:

The UTLA Election Season is Upon Us by Dr. John Fernandez



Dr. John Fernandez.jpg
(Mensaje se repite en Español)

Anyone running for UTLA President or any other UTLA city-wide office should have a platform and how he/she is going to implement it. I remember Warren Fletcher's big campaign promise was that he was going to hire a professional negotiator--which he did not do--and appointed Betty Forrester Chief UTLA Negotiator, what a mistake! Forrester was completely out negotiated by the likes of the District's Dick Fisher. Forrester/Fletcher produced three disastrous TAs: The local School Initiative (2011), which virtually gives no power to parents--but gives some power to teachers and most of the power to principals. In this TA, there is no grievance provision for teachers. The Local schools Initiative model gives automatic waivers of most the Collective Bargaining Agreement to Local Initiative Schools. Sounds good on the surface--but a Local Initiative School can waive seniority among teachers for assignments and election of deans and department chairs and can eliminate lead teachers. Parents only have two representatives on a Local Initiative School Council of eight.

The Jobs and Restoration TA (2012) was another joke; about 4,100 teachers were hired back but about the same amount or more were ultimately RIFd. Many teachers that were hired back were hired as subs. The Jobs and Restoration 
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Hire Ground in School Hiring #edchat #savmp | Connected Principals

Hire Ground in School Hiring #edchat #savmp | Connected Principals:

Hire Ground in School Hiring #edchat #savmp

August 4, 2013
By 
With the school year only a few weeks away, this administrator is finally about to wrap up the process of hiring all the staff I need for the year.

It all started this spring…

Due to changes in grant funding, a para-educator getting a teaching job, and one of my best teachers leaving to become a principal, I found myself finishing the school year in June with three unanticipated openings. Now, many hours later, many resumes later, many interviews later I am just about done. Two candidates have signed on and the last one has a little more work to do to make her final decision.

The process of hiring is time-consuming and one of the most important tasks for a principal.
It starts with creating the ad. In Vermont, most schools use schoolspring.com to post jobs and collect resumes.

Aspiring to be a connected principal, I use many of the built-in features of school spring instead of just printing resumes and going old-fashioned route. I let schoolspring manage the process for me wherever possible first by setting up evaluation rounds where, as resumes come in, I evaluate them 
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Nite Cap 8-4-13 #BATsACT #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2 #Cheats4Change


James Baldwin said it best: 

"For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."


A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAP


TODAY

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools This Week
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools This Week: Seattle Schools This WeekTuesday, August 6thPrimary election including Mayor and School Board.   I hate this "dead of summer" primary so every vote truly does count.  I especially urge voters in District IV and District V to get in their votes for the School Board rep.  I think this will be quite the interesting General Election and I wil
by mike simpson / 28min 
Parent-trigger Spin(aka BS) from the AstroTurf Parent Revolution
Parent-trigger efforts in L.A. give parents control of the classroomLOS ANGELES - As the 2013-14 school year begins this month, Southern California will be ground zero for a new experiment in how schools are run. | Related: Parent-trigger efforts in West Adams force 24th Street Elementary to start over | Parent trigger coup: Parents oust Watts principalby By Beau Yarbrough... / 37min mark as read 
by mike simpson / 56min 
Seattle Schools Community Forum: What is the process?
Seattle Schools Community Forum: What is the process?: What is the process?If you had an idea and community support for a new school program, what would you do?The new program placement policy, 2200, for all its inadequacies, does make some things clear. It defines the terms school, program, service, and curricular focus and delineates the authority for each of them. The schools have authority to
by mike simpson / 1h 
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Have We Lost Our Sense of Shame?In reflecting on the sordid Anthony Weiner story, I wrote that civilization depends to some extent on the survival of a sense of shame. Shame makes people regretful of bad behavior and minimizes such behavior. Too much shame might be a bad thing, but none at all leaves us at the mercy of the whims an
by mike simpson / 1h 
Why Learn Spelling and Grammar When We have Smartphones? | toteachornototeach
Why Learn Spelling and Grammar When We have Smartphones? | toteachornototeach: Professor says kids no longer need to learn spelling and grammar because of smartphonesby Eric OwensSeveral skills that every kid once learned in school are going the way of the dodo in a hurry. Diagramming sentences is practically an extinct art, for example. Cursive handwriting and memorized multiplication tables look
1 by mike simpson / 2h 
If Only Tony Had Just Deleted His Own Emails | Scathing Purple Musings #Cheats4Change
If Only Tony Had Just Deleted His Own Emails | Scathing Purple Musings: If Only Tony Had Just Deleted His Own EmailsPosted on August 4, 2013by Bob Sikes      Rate ThisFlorida! - Open Up Your Heart And Let The Sun Shine In - Cheaters Never Win! #Cheats4ChangeHere’s a  follow-up story in the Miami Herald from Tom LoBianco, the investigative reporter who broke the Tony Bennett grade change scandal:IN
by mike simpson / 2h 
Connectedness and Transparency in Leadership | My Island View
Connectedness and Transparency in Leadership | My Island View: Connectedness and Transparency in LeadershipAugust 4, 2013 by tomwhitbyI am planning on attending an Edcamp for leadership next week, which has caused me to reflect upon my administrator/teacher experiences of the past. There was once a time in education, not too long ago, that all discussions about education were led and controlled by
by mike simpson / 2h 
Test: ALEC, Legislation, and the U.S. Constitution | Reclaim Reform
Test: ALEC, Legislation, and the U.S. Constitution | Reclaim Reform: Test: ALEC, Legislation, and the U.S. ConstitutionPosted on August 4, 2013by Ken PrevitiTest: ALEC, Legislation, and the U.S. Constitution 1. Who is authorized by the U.S. Constitution to write legislation?A) Only elected legislators may write major legislation.B) ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council, and other private
by mike simpson / 2h 
Breaking News: Kevin Welner’s Charter School Dirty Dozen | Cloaking Inequity
Breaking News: Kevin Welner’s Charter School Dirty Dozen | Cloaking Inequity: Breaking News: Kevin Welner’s Charter School Dirty DozenWelcome to the third installment of Cloaking Inequity’s new comic series Breaking News. Today the comic represents Kevin Welner’s “The Dirty Dozen: How Charter Schools Influence Student Enrollment. Dr. Welner is a professor of education policy at the University of C
by mike simpson / 4h 
Florida! - Open Up Your Heart And Let The Sun Shine In - Cheaters Never Win! #Cheats4Change
Cheats For Change #Cheats4ChangeCheats For Change: Cheats For Change#Cheats4Change Cheats For Change#Cheats4Change are committed to putting themselves first through bold, visionary education deform that will increase their donors' profits and prepare themselves for success in politics and careers.Archive  Ask us anything  About This Blog  Submitoccupyedueducation reformeducation policycorporate ag
by mike simpson / 4h 
The problem with the Paul Vallas brand of school reform
The problem with the Paul Vallas brand of school reform: The problem with the Paul Vallas brand of school reformBy Valerie Strauss, Published: August 4 at 1:00 pmE-mail the writer1CommentsMorePaul VallasPaul Vallas has long enjoyed a reputation in the education reform world as a school turnaround specialist, even while critics have routinely noted that his “turnarounds” have been less than success
by mike simpson / 4h 
Schooling in the Ownership Society: K12 Inc. lags far behind face-to-face schools in Florida
Schooling in the Ownership Society: K12 Inc. lags far behind face-to-face schools in Florida: K12 Inc. lags far behind face-to-face schools in FloridaThe thing about privatization is, there's little or no public accountability. Take for example, K12 Inc., the e-learning company that competes with traditional schools for a piece of the  multi-billion-dollar education pie.Progress Florida also found
by mike simpson / 5h 
Kentucky Fried Future | EduShyster
Kentucky Fried Future | EduShyster: Kentucky Fried Future The jobs of tomorrow are here today—and they suck…Reader: as a white person, I am required by law to listen to at least 12 hours of National Public Radio per week. (Note: 12 hour minimum does not include on-air fund drives). Which is how I happened to find myself tuned into a recent episode of On Point on the fast food economy and the wave
by mike simpson / 5h 
North Carolina Cuts Teacher Certification Requirements for Charter Schools | Heartlander Magazine
North Carolina Cuts Teacher Certification Requirements for Charter Schools | Heartlander Magazine: North Carolina Cuts Teacher Certification Requirements for Charter Schools North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory signed legislation that lets charter schools hire more elementary teachers without  teaching certificates. The new law decreases the number of required elementary charter school teachers with t
by mike simpson / 6h 
WATCH: John Merrow Discusses Education Commissioner Tony Bennett’s Resignation | Learning Matters
WATCH: John Merrow Discusses Education Commissioner Tony Bennett’s Resignation | Learning Matters: WATCH: John Merrow Discusses Education Commissioner Tony Bennett's Resignation 
by mike simpson / 6h 
Jeb’s Education Racket | National Review Online
Jeb’s Education Racket | National Review Online: Jeb’s Education Racket The former Florida governor and his GOP cronies have lowered standards and increased corruption. By Michelle MalkinArchiveLatestRSSSendFollow• followersFormer Florida education commissioner Tony BennettinShare7PrintText   Comments139Michelle Malkin The resignation of Florida education commissioner Tony Bennett couldn’t have co
1 by mike simpson / 6h 
8-4-13 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.
Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Sunday summer reads.  Photo: Arthur Goldstein North Carolina cuts teacher certification requirements for charter schools. Does it help to throw money at schools? Yes. If you can’t get it there any other way. Revealing the corporate and business interests in the DePaul basketball arena deal. St. Vincen
by mike simpson / 7h 
Morning Wink 8-4-13 AM Posts #BATsACT #edreform #EDCHAT #P2
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSTODAYThe KKK’s Response to the Murder of Chaney, Goodman, & Schwerner…Prison Culture » The KKK’s Response to the Murder of Chaney, Goodman, & Schwerner…: The KKK’s Response to the Murder of Chaney, Goodman, & Schwerner…      Rate ThisToday is the day on 8/4/64 that the bodies of civil rights martyrs of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael
by mike simpson / 8h 
The KKK’s Response to the Murder of Chaney, Goodman, & Schwerner…
Prison Culture » The KKK’s Response to the Murder of Chaney, Goodman, & Schwerner…: The KKK’s Response to the Murder of Chaney, Goodman, & Schwerner…      Rate ThisToday is the day on 8/4/64 that the bodies of civil rights martyrs of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner were found buried in an earthen dam in Philadelphia, Mississippi. Below is a short video summarizing this
2 by mike simpson / 8h 
Cheats For Change #Cheats4Change
Cheats For Change: Cheats For Change#Cheats4Change Cheats For Change#Cheats4Change are committed to putting themselves first through bold, visionary education deform that will increase their donors' profits and prepare themselves for success in politics and careers.Archive  Ask us anything  About This Blog  Submitoccupyedueducation reformeducation policycorporate agendapublic schoolspublic educati
by mike simpson / 8h 
Legislature's changes to Texas education go far beyond zapping of 10 STAAR tests | Dallasnews.com - News for Dallas, Texas - The Dallas Morning News
Legislature's changes to Texas education go far beyond zapping of 10 STAAR tests | Dallasnews.com - News for Dallas, Texas - The Dallas Morning News: Legislature's changes to Texas education go far beyond zapping of 10 STAAR testsStaff Writerjweiss@dallasnews.comPublished: 03 August 2013 11:17 PMUpdated: 03 August 2013 11:42 PMFirst in a seriesAnyone who cares about Texas schools probably knows th
by mike simpson / 8h 
Around Florida: Education job a revolving door | jacksonville.com
Around Florida: Education job a revolving door | jacksonville.com: Around Florida: Education job a revolving doorPosted: August 4, 2013 - 7:44am  |  Updated: August 4, 2013 - 8:56amBy Matt DixonA word of advice to those who aspire to become Florida’s top education official: keep your resume updated.For the third time since 2011, a Florida education commissioner has resigned under less than squeaky
by mike simpson / 8h 
Teach for America criticized for apparent stance on education policy - latimes.com
Teach for America criticized for apparent stance on education policy - latimes.com: Teach for America criticized for apparent stance on education policyCritics say Teach for America has strayed from a core mission of helping needy urban schools, favoring efforts seen as anti-teacher union.By Howard BlumeAugust 3, 2013, 7:40 p.m.Over its 24-year history, Teach for America has won accolades for taki
by mike simpson / 9h 
All Things Education: Turtles and Hares in Modern School Reform
All Things Education: Turtles and Hares in Modern School Reform: Turtles and Hares in Modern School ReformI ended my last post with a larger point about the problem of "disruption" in modern education reform:"This is exactly what happens when you rush into big, 'disruptive' changes without thinking about them or fully understanding what you're doing. You break things that weren't already broken an
by mike simpson / 9h 
Will liberals stand up to “corporate school reform”? - Salon.com
Will liberals stand up to “corporate school reform”? - Salon.com: Will liberals stand up to “corporate school reform”?For too long, they've assumed that schools can be "fixed" without tackling social and economic inequalityBY LOIS WEINERThis article originally appeared on Jacobin.An eloquent call to “reclaim the conversation” challenges leading liberal educators to repudiate their involvement in w
by mike simpson / 9h 
School reform needs reform | Ocala.com
School reform needs reform | Ocala.com: School reform needs reformBy Brad RodgersEditorial Page EditorPublished: Saturday, August 3, 2013 at 10:48 p.m.Last Modified: Saturday, August 3, 2013 at 10:48 p.m.Since we here in Florida like to grade our education system, or at least our politicians do, let’s take a look at how things are going.We have been measuring our students and their schools based o
by mike simpson / 9h 
Michelle Rhee embraces disgraced charter school advocate - Salon.com
Michelle Rhee embraces disgraced charter school advocate - Salon.com: Michelle Rhee embraces disgraced charter school advocateEducation reformers rush to defend Florida schools chief, Tony Bennett, after he resigned in a pay-to-play scandalTony Bennett, Florida’s education chief, abruptly resigned yesterday after an AP investigationrevealed that in his old job running Indiana’s schools, he frantic
by mike simpson / 9h 
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 8-4-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Your School Library: A Profit CenterA retired librarian spots a scam: Reference: here is another blog that is relevant to the discussion. “Apple’s iPad Textbooks Cost 5x More Than Print” By Lee Wilson —————————————- Comment: I have watched the dismantling of the public library in my district. The newest “schemes” provide some kind
by mike simpson / 9h 
Perdido Street School: Why Are Tisch And King So Afraid To Reveal The Common Core Test Contents?
Perdido Street School: Why Are Tisch And King So Afraid To Reveal The Common Core Test Contents?: Why Are Tisch And King So Afraid To Reveal The Common Core Test Contents?The scores from the Common Core tests - the one's the kids didn't have the time to finish - are going to be released this week and NYSED Commissioner/rookie teacher John King says they are really, really bad:State education offic
by mike simpson / 9h 
8-4-13 Schools Matter @ The Chalk Face
SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE: Charleston P&C: How Media Fails EducationThe Post and Courier (Charleston, SC) has a long history of endorsing every education reform movement that doesn’t have any credibility: Teach for America? Sure. Charter schools? You bet. So it comes as no surprise that the P&C has penned an endorsement of SC’s move to reform teacher evaluation, by framing the issue
by mike simpson / 9h 
Another View: Board should take new look at school closures - California Forum - The Sacramento Bee
Another View: Board should take new look at school closures - California Forum - The Sacramento Bee: Another View: Board should take new look at school closuresBy Mark MerinSpecial to The BeePublished: Sunday, Aug. 4, 2013 - 12:00 am | Page 2EThe July 24 editorial, "Forget the lawyers, focus on the students," which criticized the parents who brought a legal action against the Sacramento City Unifi
2 by mike simpson / 9h 
Turning Around Urban Districts: The Case of Paul Vallas | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice
Turning Around Urban Districts: The Case of Paul Vallas | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Turning Around Urban Districts: The Case of Paul VallasLee Iaccoca, Steve Jobs, and Ann Mulcahy were CEOs that resurrected  Chrysler,  Apple, and Xerox from near (or actual) bankruptcy to profitability. They were turnaround heroes–saviors, if you like–to their corporate boards and shareho
by mike simpson / 9h 

YESTERDAY

The United States Student Association Congress — The Vice Presidential Election |
The United States Student Association Congress — The Vice Presidential Election |: The United States Student Association Congress — The Vice Presidential ElectionAugust 3, 2013 in StudentsAs I noted in my previous post about last month’s US Student Assocation Congress, USSA’s presidential election attracted considerably more drama than the vice presidential, despite the fact that it was unconteste
by mike simpson / 21h 
Bernie Sanders: Walmart family’s ‘obscene’ wealth subsidized by taxpayers | The Raw Story
Bernie Sanders: Walmart family’s ‘obscene’ wealth subsidized by taxpayers | The Raw Story: Bernie Sanders: Walmart family’s ‘obscene’ wealth subsidized by taxpayersSenator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) appeared on MSNBC’s “The Ed Show” on Saturday and scoffed at the idea that major corporations like Walmart can’t afford to pay their workers a living wage and that to raise the U.S. minimum wage would be ba
by mike simpson / 21h 
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Boundary Talk with Marty McLaren
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Boundary Talk with Marty McLaren: Boundary Talk with Marty McLarenI attended the Growth Boundaries meeting hosted by Director McLaren this morning and two themes stood out. One came from the District and the other from the community.The District's theme was mystery. There is simply no telling who would make the decisions about schools and buildings, no clue about h
by mike simpson / 21h 
Attend the SURPRISE 40th Birthday Party for ALEC. | Reclaim Reform
Attend the SURPRISE 40th Birthday Party for ALEC. | Reclaim Reform: Attend the SURPRISE 40th Birthday Party for ALEC.Posted on August 3, 2013by Ken PrevitiAttend the SURPRISE 4oth Birthday Party for ALEC.(The surprise is – they didn’t invite you, peasants. However, attend anyway.) Since billionaires and multimillionaires pay ALEC to write the legislation for every state and the federal government,
by mike simpson / 21h 
Performance Test for New Teachers A Forum on the edTPA Rethinking Schools
Rethinking Schools: VOLUME 27, ISSUE 4 — SUMMER 2013COVER THEME:PERFORMANCE TEST FOR NEW TEACHERSA FORUM ON THE EDTPAIn this special forum, we highlight three perspectives on the edTPA (Teacher Performance Assessment), the test for credential candidates now being piloted in teacher education programs around the country.The Role of Performance Assessment in Developing Teaching as a ProfessionBy Lin
by mike simpson / 21h 
Nite Cap 8-3-13 #BATsACT #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2 #Cheats4Change
James Baldwin said it best: "For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAPTODAYDaily Kos: Why?Daily Kos: Why?: Why?byteacherkenFollow Sometimes I think about certain things I perceive or encounter that upset me and ask that simply question -Why?Therein  begins a process of expanding my understanding, and thus my humanity.In Dece
by mike simpson / 23h 
Daily Kos: Why?
Daily Kos: Why?: Why?byteacherkenFollow Sometimes I think about certain things I perceive or encounter that upset me and ask that simply question -Why?Therein  begins a process of expanding my understanding, and thus my humanity.In December of 1956 in the Miami airport I saw my first whites only sign and asked my motherWhy?From that came awareness, that was honed the following Fall with the events
by mike simpson / 1d




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